Christine Tran

About Christine Tran

Christine is of Teochew and Vietnamese descent. She operates through a lens of lived experiences. Christine is the daughter of Boat People Refugees. Her mother worked in sweatshops, her father worked as a day laborer. She was a WIC, Head Start, public library, and free lunch kid. She grew up in a CalFresh and Section 8 household. She is committed to increasing benefits access, expanding local opportunities, and building healthy communities through inclusive policies and programs. Her previous work includes leading the Los Angeles Food Policy Council, grantmaking at First 5 LA, teaching for the Los Angeles Unified School District as well as policy and program development across the United States in Los Angeles, Milwaukee, Washington, D.C, Chicago, New York City, and Seattle. She has a diverse background in school food, food justice, P-20 education, nonprofit, philanthropy, and community development.Christine has written for KCET, PBS, Boom California, and Life & Thyme. She is a graduate of UCLA, Columbia University, and is currently a Ph.D. Candidate at the University of Washington. Christine is also an alumna of the Bill Emerson National Hunger Fellowship, Emerging Leaders in Science & Society Fellowship, the Illinois Early Childhood Fellowship, and the Collaborative Researchers for Education Sciences Training Fellowship (funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences).

Experience

1. Portfolio Manager

   Ballmer Group

   Jan 2024 — Present

   Ballmer Group is committed to improving economic mobility and opportunity for children and families in the United States.

Education

• Columbia University

  Master of Arts (M.A.), Sociology

  2011 — 2012

• UCLA

  B.A., English and Asian American Studies

  1999 — 2004

• University of Washington

  Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Educational Leadership and Policy Studies

  2012

• UCLA

  M.Ed., Urban Schooling

  2004 — 2006

Skills

• Leadership
• Grant Writing
• Research Design
• Public Policy
• Early Childhood Education
• Leadership Development
• School Nutrition
• Policy Analysis
• Cultural Competency
• Public Speaking
• Political Science
• Fundraising
• Community Engagement
• P-20 Education
• Higher Education
• Volunteer Management
• Multicultural Education
• Nonprofits
• Research
• Program Development
• Community Outreach
• Community Development
• Policy
• Nutrition Education
• Public Health
• K-12 Education
• Nonprofit Organizations
• Social Media
• Qualitative Research
• Curriculum Design
• Education Policy
• Non-Profits
• Data Analysis
• Quantitative Research
• Curriculum Development
• Teaching
• Cultural Awareness
• Writing
• Grants
• Education